# Litestream — Streaming Replication for SQLite

> A standalone streaming replication tool for SQLite that continuously backs up your database to S3-compatible storage, enabling disaster recovery without complex infrastructure.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Litestream — Streaming Replication for SQLite

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install on Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y litestream

# Or via Homebrew
brew install benbjohnson/litestream/litestream

# Start replicating a SQLite database to S3
litestream replicate /path/to/db s3://my-bucket/db

# Restore from replica
litestream restore -o /path/to/db s3://my-bucket/db
```

## Introduction
Litestream is a standalone disaster-recovery tool for SQLite databases. It runs as a background process that continuously streams WAL changes to S3-compatible storage, giving SQLite the durability guarantees typically reserved for client-server databases. By pairing SQLite's simplicity with cloud-based replication, Litestream lets small teams ship production apps on a single server without sacrificing data safety.

## What Litestream Does
- Continuously replicates SQLite WAL changes to S3, GCS, Azure Blob, SFTP, or local paths
- Provides point-in-time restore from any snapshot or WAL segment
- Runs as a sidecar process or systemd service alongside your application
- Supports multiple replica destinations simultaneously for redundancy
- Operates with near-zero impact on application read/write performance

## Architecture Overview
Litestream monitors the SQLite WAL (Write-Ahead Log) file and streams new pages to one or more configured replica destinations. It takes periodic snapshots of the full database and retains WAL segments between snapshots, enabling point-in-time recovery. Because it works at the WAL level rather than through SQL queries, it adds negligible overhead to database operations and requires no changes to application code.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install a single binary with no runtime dependencies
- Configure replicas in a YAML file specifying destination URLs and retention policies
- Run as a systemd service for automatic startup and restart
- Set `LITESTREAM_ACCESS_KEY_ID` and `LITESTREAM_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` for S3 auth
- Use the Docker image for containerized deployments with sidecar pattern

## Key Features
- Sub-second replication lag for continuous data protection
- Works with any S3-compatible backend including MinIO and Backblaze B2
- No application code changes required; operates purely on the WAL
- Built-in validation command to verify replica integrity
- Supports age-based retention policies for snapshot and WAL cleanup

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **SQLite backup API** — creates point-in-time copies but lacks continuous streaming
- **rqlite** — distributed SQLite with Raft consensus; Litestream is simpler, single-node replication
- **LiteFS** — FUSE-based distributed SQLite by the same author; Litestream focuses on backup, LiteFS on multi-node reads
- **pg_basebackup** — PostgreSQL-specific; Litestream brings similar streaming concepts to SQLite
- **Turso/libSQL** — managed distributed SQLite; Litestream is self-hosted and storage-agnostic

## FAQ
**Q: Does Litestream lock the database during replication?**
A: No. It reads WAL pages without acquiring locks, so your application continues to read and write normally.

**Q: Can I replicate to multiple destinations?**
A: Yes. You can configure multiple replica targets in the YAML config, and Litestream streams to all of them simultaneously.

**Q: How do I restore a database?**
A: Run `litestream restore -o /path/to/restored.db s3://bucket/db` to pull the latest snapshot and replay WAL segments.

**Q: Does it work with WAL mode disabled?**
A: No. Litestream requires SQLite to operate in WAL mode, which is the recommended journal mode for most applications.

## Sources
- https://github.com/benbjohnson/litestream
- https://litestream.io/getting-started/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/53a0876a-3d5a-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: Script Depot